Treatment of Indian Tribes in a Similar Manner as States for Purposes of Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act (Renewal)

Forms and Documents

Document	Type	Status	Availability
2553ss03-REV.docx	Supporting Statement A	Uploaded 2020-03-20	Available

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Collection	Type	Status	Form
219494	Tribal Governments		Modified

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 2040-0290	ICR Reference No: 201910-2040-002
Status: Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 201610-2040-001
Agency/Subagency: EPA/OW	Agency Tracking No: 2553.03
Title: Treatment of Indian Tribes in a Similar Manner as States for Purposes of Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act (Renewal)
Type of Information Collection: Extension without change of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved with change	Conclusion Date: 03/20/2020
	Date Received in OIRA: 10/31/2019
Terms of Clearance: In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for three years.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	03/31/2023	36 Months From Approved	03/31/2020
Responses	5	0	12
Time Burden (Hours)	34,757	0	89,904
Cost Burden (Dollars)	12,443	0	132,000

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Abstract: In 2016, EPA issued regulations establishing a process for federally recognized tribes to obtain treatment in a similar manner as states (TAS) for purposes of administrating the water quality restoration provisions of Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 303(d), including establishing lists of impaired waters on their reservations and developing total maximum daily loads (TMDLs). The CWA does not require tribes to administer the CWA Section 303(d) program. However, tribes seeking to be authorized must apply for and be found eligible for TAS through the procedures described in the regulations. Section 303(d) of the CWA requires states, territories, and authorized tribes to identify and establish a priority ranking for waters that do not meet EPA-approved or promulgated water quality standards (WQS) following the implementation of technology-based controls. For waters so identified, Section 303(d) requires states, territories, and authorized tribes to establish TMDLs in accordance with their priority ranking for those pollutants the Administrator identified as suitable for TMDL calculation. A TMDL is the calculation and allocation to point and nonpoint sources of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a water body can receive and still meet applicable WQS, with a margin of safety.

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Authorizing Statute(s): PL: Pub.L. 92 - 500 518 Name of Law: Clean Water Act
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	84 FR 15216	04/15/2019
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	84 FR 58155	10/30/2019
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Tribal Governments

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ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	5	12	0	0	-7	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	34,757	89,904	0	0	-55,147	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	12,443	132,000	0	0	-119,557	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: There is a decrease of 55,147 hours in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB. These decreases are due to: (1) the estimated annual number of respondents decreasing from twelve to five; (2) new and better data that parses out labor and costs per activity; and (3) TAS application burden and cost estimates from post-final rule, Revised Interpretation of Clean Water Act Tribal Provision (the previous ICR used pre-final rule estimates).

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $119,754

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? Uncollected

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Common Form ICR:  No

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On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).

The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(i) Why the information is being collected;

(ii) Use of information;

(iii) Burden estimate;

(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);

(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and

(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.

Certification Date: 10/31/2019

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